Mirror Worlds
by Noblesnow
Summary: Two years after Kagome leaves, Sota's cousin comes to visit, bringing with her some adventures and dramas.
1. Neverending Summer Vacation

**_Here's_**_** my story**_

_**tell me if it sucks or not**_

_**...**_

* * *

_"This is the spot?" A young boy and a man who looked about twenty stood near a forest. It was the middle of the night. The young boy shivered. He didn't know if his master was cold or not, but he was freezing._

_"We're going." The man said, walking away._

_"What?" The boy asked. They had been standing there for hours and nothing interesting even happened yet!_

_"You heard me." The man said._

_The boy sighed, annoyed, and walked away._

* * *

_"Did I fall asleep or something?" A girl asked herself looking around her. She was in a forest somewhere in the middle of the night. She didn't recognize this place. It seemed strange to wake up an find yourself in an unfamiliar place._

_"Where...am I?" She asked. Then, she noticed that her clothes, though still intact and colorful, were streaked with mud. "What happened to me?"_

* * *

Kagome's mom was in the kitchen reading a letter. She had been talking to her sister for a while using paper letters.

" Grandpa! Sota!" She called." I have some news for you."

"Eh?" Grandpa asked, coming from the living room." What's wrong?"

" Yeah mom?" Sota asked.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled." Your cousin's coming to stay here for a while."

"Cousin?" Sota asked, though thinking back, he shouldn't be surprised. For weeks, his mom had been writing letters to an unknown someone and wearing mysterious smiles.

" Oh yes." Mrs. Higurashi said." You haven't met her yet. Her name's Akariko and she's about the same age as you."

" Why didn't you tell me?" Grandpa asked." I could have kept a secret!"

" I wanted to surprise you to." Mrs. Higurashi said.

" That's an old fashioned name." Sota said." Akariko."

* * *

A girl with waist-length midnight blue hair tied up with a white ribbon was sitting alone on a seat in a train. She had been sitting still for two hours already. In the first hour, she had a high school age girl to talk to. She had left though, at her stop to visit some grandparents.

" Wonder how long this'll take." She said, leaning back and checking her map. In the upper right corner, she had written her name neatly: _Akariko_." Shouldn't take much longer."

She sighed and looked out the window as countless trees and buildings passed by, the number of buildings far surpassing the trees. It was almost noon now, the sun was no longer directly in her face, but somewhere above the train. The compartment she was in was one of the emptier ones, there were only about twenty people in this one. Most of them were older than her, though there was two people, seemed to be siblings, who looked only ten or twelve.

* * *

" She should be here by tomorrow." Mrs. Higurashi said.

" Why'd you tell us this late?" Grandpa asked." We could have done something for her!"

" I'm sorry." Mrs. Higurashi said." I wasn't sure when she should come, and her letter told me that she was already on her way here."

" Where's that boy Sota?" Grandpa asked, suddenly noticing that Sota wasn't in the room.

" He left a while ago." Mrs. Higurashi said." He has school you know."

" Oh yeah!" Grandpa said." I forgot, with Kagome leaving so much, my memory's getting a bit hazy."

" Oh Grandpa." Mrs. Higurashi said with a small chuckle.

* * *

"This must be the place." Akariko said, checking the picture. The big staircase leading to a shrine looked the same. And the ridiculously large tree up near the shrine, next to a two story house that looked like it had a history or renovations.

She hesitantly walked up the long fleet of stairs, wondering what she was supposed to do when she got there. Should she ring the doorbell or just wait till they noticed her?

As she got up the stairs and nearer to the house, she made up her mind to ring the doorbell. Once she got near the door, she saw that there was no doorbell, so instead, she knocked.

A faint " Coming!" came from the back of the house. In a few minutes, the door opened and a woman came out.

" Oh, are you Akariko?" She asked, looking surprised.

" Yes." Akariko said, feeling as surprised as the woman looked.

" Oh, come in." The woman said." I wasn't expecting you to come this early."

'' You're Mrs. Higurashi?" Akariko asked.

" Yes." Mrs. Higurashi said." Here, why don't you have a seat and I'll fix you a snack."

" No thank you." Akariko said politely, sitting on the couch. There was an old man reading the newspaper on the opposite couch.

" So that's the mysterious cousin?" He asked, peering at Akariko.

" I never said she was mysterious." Mrs. Higurashi said." I just said that you never met her before."

" How long's she staying?" Grandpa asked." We'll need a room for her to stay in."

" I think about six months." Mrs. Higurashi said." And she'll have Kagome's room. I've cleaned it up already."

" Is she going to go to school to?" Grandpa asked, determined to have a say in something.

" Yes, I've made arrangements to have her go the the same junior high as Sota's going to."

" How about the uniform?" Grandpa asked." Surely Kagome's are too big for her."

" It's fine." Mrs. Higurashi said." They'll just be a bit long."

" Alright then," Grandpa said." How about what she's going to do around the house?"

" Oh Grandpa." Mrs. Higurashi said smiling." You just won't quit until you win don't you?"

* * *

" I'm home!" Sota called, a few hours later. The sun was now nearly setting.

" Oh Sota!" Grandpa said." Your cousin's here now. Your mom's preparing a big meal for that."

" Okay." Sota said going into his room. His mind took a few seconds to register what Grandpa had said, due to the fact that his math teacher pretty much fried his brain with useless math stuff. He use to like math, make fun of Kagome's inability to get good math scores, but that was before he got the worst teacher on the face of the earth.

" Sota!" Mrs. Higurashi called.

" Coming." He said, walking downstairs.

* * *

Akariko was standing by the wall, not daring to sit down and make herself seem rude.

" There you are." Mrs. Higurashi said, when a boy who looked Akariko's age walked in. He looked rather troubled for a fourteen year old.

" This is Akariko." Mrs. Higurashi said, gesturing towards Akariko.

"Hi." Akariko said shortly, not knowing what else to say.

" Oh, hi." The boy said, looking surprised. Then, turning to his mother, he said," What's for dinner?"

* * *

**What do you think? Not bad for first time?**


	2. Friends

Akariko sat on Kagome's bed, bored. She didn't sleep at all last night, but she wasn't sleepy. She hadn't wanted to mess up Kagome's room since it seemed so clean.

" I wonder what time it is." She said out loud. The sun wasn't even up yet. It was probably still the middle of the night. A sudden meow rang out across the room.

"You're hungry aren't you?" Akariko asked. Sota had told her last night that the cat was almost always hungry, and how he and Kagome would sometimes feed the cat the old man's ancient artifacts. Now what was the cat's name again?

"Oh yeah, Buyo." Akariko said, scooping him up." I can't feed you. I don't have any food."

Buyo gave another meow, but this time, it sounded sleepy.

Akariko sat down on Kagome's bed again, and set Buyo on her lap. She absent-mindedly stroked his fur whild thinking of what she was going to do today. What was she going to do? She felt like she was supposed to be doing something, but she had no idea what. She laid down again and closed her eyes.

'I'll just rest my eyes for a bit.' She thought. Sleepiness had suddenly hit her. Still, she was determined not to fall asleep.

"Akariko!"

A five-year-old Akariko and her friends stopped playing their game of catch. Akariko looked towards the sound and saw her mother standing there." It's getting late. We should head home now."

" Ok!" Akariko said, running towards her mother." Bye guys!"

"You shouldn't play so far from the house Akariko dear." Her mother said, holding her hand.

"We don't go that far. It's just across the garden." Akariko had said.

"I know, but that place is dangerous. There is a sharp drop into the ocean there and a deep forest nearby. Bandits could get you." Her mother patiently explained.

"Umm...what are bandits?" Akariko asked.

"Their bad people who take little girls away. If you get captured, you'll never see your parents again." Her mother said, slightly exaggerating the facts so that Akariko wouldn't want to go near there.

"Wow!" Akariko said." I want to see a bandit!"

"No, you don't." Her mother said patiently." Let's go home."

"Ok!" Akariko said happily.

Akariko woke up suddenly. She wasn't suppose to fall asleep! Now, the sun was shining brightly. Buyo was nowhere in sight.

Akariko got out of the bed, fixed Kagome's bed, and went out the room. The house was empty except for the old man, who was reading the newspaper, and Buyo, who was laying down near his foot.

"Where's everyone?" Akariko asked.

"Sota's at school and his mom is going out shopping." Grandpa said, not looking up from his newspaper.

"Oh." Akariko said, wondering when she was supposed to start.

" Weren't you supposed to start your new school today?" Grandpa asked, still not looking up from his newspaper.

" I was?" Akariko looked at him blankly.

" Yes, you better hurry." Grandpa said." I think Sota's mother left the uniform in front of your room."

" Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Akariko ran upstairs. Sure enough, there was a basket with a white blouse, a green skirt, and a little post it note saying: I could only find the summer version of the uniform, hope you won't mind!

Sota was sitting in his homeroom class, talking to his friends. His teacher was saying something, but no one was listening.

"How are you doing sir?" The principal asked, walking in.

"J-just fine." The teacher, known as Mr. Meiwaku said, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Glad to hear that." The principal said." Now, I'm here to introduce you to a new student. She just transferred today from overseas."

"Overseas huh?" The teacher asked.

"Yes, Higurashi, can you come in?'

"Yes?'' Akariko asked, putting on a cutesy tone, putting a little bounce in her step. Sota was amazed at how easily she had did that, as if she had practiced for years." You called?"

"She will be a new in your homeroom and math class this year. I hope you can handle it. You've filed in more complaints this year than all the other teachers in all our years combined."

"Oh, I'll be fine." Mr. Meiwaku said, though in his head, he was thinking,' You better give me a raise for this. I feel like you dumped all the delinquents in my class.'

"New kid." Sota's friend, Shintaro said.

"Wonder if she'll survive this year." His other friend, Satoru said.

" Oh!" A girl near the back with unusually golden hair that was slightly longer than her shoulders and a part of hair childishly tied up with a wing-shaped hair clip said. She jabbed a finger onto the girl who sat next to her next to her shoulder. The girl, with an even more unusual hair color, light pink, gave her a pained look. The first girl whispered something and pointed at Akariko. The pink hair girl's eyes widened in shock, and she leaned in to talk to friend in a hushed whisper.

"You can sit next to those two in the back." The teacher said to Akariko, oblivious to that entire scene.

"Ok class!" Mr. Meiwaku said." Let's start the lesson!"

The class stared at him, bored.

"Are we actually going to learn something, or is this going to end up with you screaming at us again?'' A boy sitting in the back asked.

"Of course we're going to learn stuff!" Mr. Meiwaku said." Today, we're going to learn about dividing equations."

"Again?" A girl asked." Didn't we learn that two weeks ago?''

"Yes." Mr. Meiwaku said." We would have finished it a while ago if you kids hadn't kept interrupting me!"

"It's not our fault." Someone called out." Your teaching sucks!"

"Who said that?!" Mr. Meiwaku shouted." If you guys actually tried to learn, we would be halfway through the course already! But we're still on chapter two!"

" Hey." The girl next to Akariko, the one with golden hair and piercing electric blue eyes said." Meet me near the old clubhouse after school."

"Um, okay." Akariko said.

"Where are you going?" Sota asked." My house's this way."

"I'm meeting someone." Akariko said.

"Where?" Sota asked.

"Near the club building." Akariko said, walking off.

"You're going the wrong way." Sota said." It's the other way."

"I knew that!" Akariko said, quickly walking the way Sota pointed.

"This should be it!" Akariko said, spotting a building with a couple of boxes near it. She saw the two girls standing there. The one with pink hair looked up.

"Oh, Akari!" The girl with pink hair said." You actually came."

"Mirai, what are you doing here?" Akariko asked.

"You remember us?" Mirai asked." I thought we would need spend hours reminding you."

"Hey, my memory's not that bad." Akariko said." Why would I forget you two? You two were my best friends from childhood. Mirai and Kyoko. And there was someone else too..."

"It's just that it's been so long since we've talked. A couple of years." Kyoko commented.

"Why'd you pretend not to know us earlier then?'' Mirai asked.

"I was?" Akariko asked. She didn't think that she was ignoring them." Sorry then. I'm not used to being around people."

" You'll have to get use to being around them then." Kyoko said." In the upper grades, participation gets really important."

"Kyoko here loves this school." Mirai said." She gets top marks in everything and loves to show off."

"Hey, I don't show off." Kyoko argued." I just point out how your grades could be better."

"Always the smart one." Mirai muttered." Lucky her. At least now that you're here, we can complain about our grades together!"

" You make it seem like I'll get bad grades." Akariko said smiling." I'm not that bad at school."

"So you're home." Sota said, looking up from his homework." Where were you?"

* * *

**Done with chapter two!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, onward to chapter three!**

* * *

It was a cool summer day. Sota was still doing his homework. Akariko was lying on his bed reading a magazine she found in Kagome's room.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing homework?" Sota asked her.

"I don't know what it's talking about." Akariko had said.

"Can you" Sota paused. He didn't want to make her mad." Can you read?"

" Course I can." Akariko said shortly." I've been reading since I was one.

"Really?" Sota asked trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

Akariko flipped the pages. All she was really doing was looking at the pictures. It was a magazine about cooking and baking.

" How come we don't eat this stuff?" She asked, looking at a fancy French course.

" You think we can afford it?" Sota asked." That stuff's expensive!"

"So you're poor?" Akariko asked." How can you afford this castle then?"

"We're not poor." Sota said." And this is not a castle."

Akariko looked over his shoulder at his homework." What'cha doing?"

"Isn't it pretty obvious?" Sota asked.

" I want to see the stick!" Akariko said, picking up his pencil.

" It's just a pencil." Sota said, annoyed." You used you at school."

Akariko didn't bother telling him that she was talking to the people around her at school. She didn't get what the teachers were saying at all.

" How do you use a pencil?" She asked, moving it with the graphite side down, drawing scribbles all over Sota, homework.

" That's my homework!" Sota grabbed it quickly. He was going to have to erase all these pencil marks. To Akariko, he said," How do you not know how to use a pencil?"

Akariko now looked bored." I never used one before."

"You'll need to know how to use one in school." Sota said."You hold it like this."

"I can do it myself!" Akariko said crossly. She didn't need anyone to think that she didn't know how to do simple things! She started to move it across the paper.

"I think you need help." Sota said when half an hour later, Akariko still could hold it evenly. It was like teaching a three year old how to hold a pencil properly!

"Sota!" Ms. Higurashi called from downstairs." Your friend's here to see you!"

"Alright!" Sota called." Wait a minute!"

Then to Akariko, he said," Here, this is how you hold it."

He held the pencil over her hand and started writing." There, not that hard is it?"

"Different from holding a paintbrush." Akariko said." I like the brush bett

" Can I borrow the phone?" Akariko asked, going downstairs. Sota had shown her what it did earlier and she had Wakana's phone number.

"Sure dear." said Ms. Higurashi

Akariko picked up the phone and pressed in the numbers Mirai had given her.

"Hello?"

"Um..." Akariko wasn't sure how to start the conversation. She had never actually used the phone before. She just watched Sota and the old man call people on it.

"Is it Akari?" The voice at the end said.

"How did you know?" Akariko asked, suprised. She couldn't see Mirai at the end of the line. Maybe Mirai could see her.

"It's pretty obvious from your voice." Mirai said.

"Oh, really?" Akariko asked.

"So what are you calling for?" Mirai asked.

"No reason. I just wanted to talk." Akariko had said." I'm bored."

"Okay." Mirai said." So what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know." Akariko said instantly, as if expecting this, yet she still sounded surprised." I thought you were going to find the topic. I didn't think about it."

"That's not how this works." Mirai said." You need to have something to say if you're going to call."

"So, what'dya want to talk about?" Akariko asked.

"I don't know!" Mirai said, frustrated.

"Oh, it's raining outside." Akariko said, hearing raindrops.

"Rain's not that rare over here you know?" Mirai said." It's pretty common actually."

"I knew that!" Akariko said." I've seen rain before!"

On and on, they talked about random little things. Akariko hung up half an hour later feeling happy. Even if Mirai seemed a little psycho.

''Akariko! Wake up, you're going to be late to school!" Mrs. Higurashi called.

"I'm not going!" Akariko shouted, wide awake. She hadn't slept all night at all since she didn't feel tired.

"You have to go, it's required." Mrs. Higurashi tried to explain." You can't just stay home because you don't want to go."

"Fine." Akariko said, getting up from her chair and brushing her hair." But I won't like it!"

Akariko ran quickly towards the school. Sota had left a while ago already, and she was going to be late. Akariko saw the gate just as the gatekeeper was going to close it.

"Wait for me!" She called.

The gatekeeper just looked at her for a moment before proceeding with closing the gate again.

'I said wait, but whatever.' Akariko thought, exasperated." Alright then!"

She ran faster and jumped over the gate. She gave the surprised gatekeeper a look of triumph as she was about to land.

"Hmm?" A boy with jet black hair looked up to see what the sudden shadow over him was.

"Oh! Look out!" Akariko called, but it was too late. Her foot had hit his face with enough force to make him fall over.

"Oww..." The boy muttered.

"Sorry!" Akariko called, already running towards her class. She was late enough already.

She got to her class just before the bell rang.

"Higurashi, here." The teacher said, checking her name of the list. She was just about to call Akariko's name on the roll call sheet. When she was done, she looked up and said," Okay class, please open your English books to page-"

"Sorry I'm late!" A boy said, opening the door loudly.

"And you are?" The teacher asked, confused. She had never seen this boy before.

"Masaru Komaru." The boy answered promptly.

"Komaru." A girl said." That's the boy who sits next to you Hitomi."

"Oh yeah," Hitomi said." He only showed up three times this year."

"And what kept you from school?" The teacher asked sternly.

"Ah, I was busy." Komaru said going to his desk.

He was walking by Akariko desk, when he suddenly said," Hey! You're that girl who kicked me in the face!"

"Oh yeah!" Akariko said, suddenly remembering." I told you to move out of the way."

"No you did not!" Komaru said.

"I said something along those lines!" Akariko said.

"He's handsome." A girl murmured near the back of the room.

"And rich too." Komaru said." My family's from a line of exorcists. And we own a huge part of Japan."

Akariko was in the park walking home. The setting sun made her long shadow stand out. Akariko sighed. This place was too strange. A school that you were required to go to everyday that lasted hours. And the trees and forests were gone. In their place were long steel buildings that gave the city a strange look. It was as if she were on a different planet. This place was completely unrecognizable.

It seemed like the buildings were here for a while though. Like the dense forests with all the animals never existed.

A noise in the bushes interrupted Akariko's thoughts. Someone was there.

Akariko didn't need to ask who was there though. A boy appearing her age with messy brown hair stumbled in front of her. Akariko was about to leave when something about him made him stop.

"Have...have I met you somewhere before?" She asked.

The boy looked at her for a moment, looking surprised. Then he said," No, I don't think so.", though he still seemed surprised and confused.

"What's your name?" Akariko asked, trying to make conversation.

"Rei." The boy muttered, clearing the bushes, obviously looking for something.

"What'cha looking for?"

"Something."

"How about you answer with more than one word." Akariko said.

"Eh."

'This is getting me nowhere.' Akariko thought.' I should leave now.'

"Well, bye." Akariko said." Nice meeting you."

Not

A few days later, Akariko was doing in Kagome's room doing her homework. Or, she was supposed too.

"I can't get this at all!" She said, tempted to rip the assignment into little shreds.

"That's why you listen in class." Sota said, finding it hard to concentrate on his own homework. It was a pretty difficult assignment. And Akariko had a disadvantage since she never went to school before.

"Hey Sota?" Akariko asked.

"What?"

"Why do we have to go to school?"

"I don't know." Sota said." To learn stuff."

"Ok."

"Akariko!" Mrs. Higurashi called." Phone!"

"Well, you sure are popular." Sota said.

Akariko ignored him as she went downstairs."Hello?"

"Akari?" Kyoko's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah?" Akariko asked." Is something wrong?"

"No" Kyoko said." I'm just wondering, you rarely come to school. The teachers want me to make sure you're okay."

"All the teachers?" Akariko asked, raising an eyebrow, though she knew well enough that kyoko couldn't see her." Those teachers must really like you."

"Oh, not really." Kyoko said." It's just that I have the highest grades in my classes and I always give people help."

"Lucky for you." Akariko said.

Kyoko really was lucky. She was the pretty one, the smart one, the kind popular one. Akariko and Wakana were just the side characters. And there was one more girl...

"You know, there's a math test coming up." Kyoko said.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?" Akariko demanded.

"Well, seems like you care about school now." Kyoko said." And I was going to tell you."

"I just don't like getting zeros on exams when everyone else is getting at least a 20." Akariko said defensively.

"How do you plan on studying?" Kyoko asked, amused.

"How about you give me the answers during the test?" Akariko suggested.

"But that's cheating. Don't you want to get your grades honestly?"

"Not really." Akariko said." I just don't want to have the lowest score."

"You have a plan?" Kyoko asked." Because I'm not helping you cheat."

"How about I come to your house and study there?" Akariko asked.

"You could do that." Kyoko said.

"I could come too." Mirai said, sitting on the couch next to Akariko." I need better grades anyways."

"When'd you get here?" Akariko asked.

"I rang the doorbell." Mirai said rolling her eyes." That's how you get invited in."

"We could go right now." Akariko said." Just to get it out of the way."

"But I have plans." Mirai said, lying down on the sofa.

"Alright then, I'll just go." Akariko said putting down the phone and leaving.

" In that case," Mirai said going after her," I'll come too. Just to show you the way."

" How long have we been walking?" Akariko complained. It had been dark for quite a while already and Mirai didn't show any sign of stopping soon.

" We're almost there." Mirai said, still walking forwards.

" It's been hours." Akariko complained." I'm tired."

" Will you quit complaining?" Mirai asked." Seriously."

" You don't have to be so harsh." Akariko muttered." You're always so impatient."

" I don't have time to wait for you." Mirai said." You run out of energy so easily."

" Just because I'm not as athletic as you are." Akariko muttered under her breath. Then she said aloud," Well sorry for being inferior to you."

" Oh, there it is!" Mirai said suddenly." Kyoko's house is always somewhere different."

"What do you mean by that?" Akariko asked. How does a house change it's location? A huge mansion-like house stood in front of them surrounded by several tall trees and made Akariko feel so small. Here and there, some lamps shone a warm yellow glow, brightening the otherwise dark house. The red curtains were drawn back, giving the house an empty look to it, though the neatly trimmed flowers said otherwise.

Wakana didn't answer and went up to the giant house and pushed a button.

" What's that going to do?" Akariko asked." Instantly open the door for us?"

" Not exactly." Mirai answered, with another eye-roll.

" I'm cold." Akariko said impulsively.

" Deal with it." Mirai said irritably." Do something else to distract you from the cold."

" Quit treating me like I'm five." Akariko said with a scowl. She spent a few second examining her dark hair before the door opened, with some shouting "Open the door already!"

A thump and the door opened. A hassled looking Kyoko came out. Behind her, the house was awfully dark.

" Took your time didn't you." Akariko snapped. Despite it still being summer, it was an awfully cold night. And Akariko had a strong dislike of the cold.

Kyoko looked confused. She looked like she was about to say something before she was hit on the head with a mirror connected to a long wooden stick. The person holding the stick was Kyoko.

"Wha-?" Akariko asked, trying her best not to sound stupid. She was pretty sure Wakana was doing some more sighing behind her.

" Sorry about my twin here." Kyoko said," Come on."

" Is she going to be okay?" Akariko asked." Why would you hit you're own sister?"

Kyoko stopped." Sister? I don't have a sister. That's my brother."

At this point, Akariko also stopped. " Brother? But, you two looked identical!"

" Must be this darkness." kyoko said indifferently." Besides, I only wear skirts."

True enough, tonight, kyoko was wearing a knee length electric blue skirt that match her bright pink flowery hair clip.

" Always so dumb."Mirai said from behind her.

" You thought that was kyoko too!" Akariko said defensively." That makes you dumb too!"

" It was the darkness." Wakana said hotly." Besides, at least I could tell that his hair was shorter. And it was brown."

" Maybe I don't have night vision." Akariko said.

"And," Mirai cut in." A boy and a girl can't be identical."

" Why do you love arguing so much?" Akariko heard herself say.

" I do not!" Mirai shouted." It's just that you always have to say such dumb things!"

" So you're calling me stupid?!" Akariko demanded.

"No, I'm calling you dim-witted!" Mirai said.

" That's the same thing!"

" No it's not!"

"Um guys?" Kyoko asked." I thought you were here to study."

" How am I supposed to study in this freezing weather?!" Akariko snapped." It's like being in a freezer!"

" It is rather cold now that I think about it." Kyoko said." That's strange."

Icicles now hung from the ceiling and snow was blowing everywhere.

" How rich are you?" Akariko asked Kyoko.

" Mom!" Kyoko called." Could you turn on the heater?"

A woman's voice came from upstairs." Are you crazy? It's such a hot night!"

" It's snowing down here!" Kyoko called." Do you want us to freeze?"

" My, it's certainly cold here isn't it?" A soft voice asked from behind Mirai." I always thought that you didn't like the cold Akariko."

A girl appearing their age with long hair tied up in a neat ponytail and wearing a long kimono walked up to them. It was the other girl from their group.

" You!" Mirai cried." Why do you always have to make such a dramatic entrance?!"

The girl simply smiled." It's been years, and that's what you have to say to me? I thought you would be kinder."

" Kinder!" Mirari scoffed." That's coming from the queen of ice."

" Now don't be mean." The girl said." I just came by to say hello."

" Come on Nayuki." Akariko said." Mirai's never going to be nice."

" What did you say?" Mirai asked.

" Now now girls." Nayuki said calmly." You should be studying for your test."

"Easy for you to say." Akariko told her." You don't get homework."

"She's right." Kyoko said." We should study for the test."

" Course we should." Mirai said." Since getting an A on the test is more important than not freezing to death."

" Very funny." Kyoko said with a roll of her eyes.

" I'm sleepy." Akariko said. It was probably well past midnight now.

" If you fall asleep, you'll die." Nayuki said." You should try to stay awake."

'Like I don't know that already.' Akariko thought, going upstairs. If Kyoko's mom said that it was hot up there, then it obviously wasn't snowing. " Which way's your room?"

"It's the one with a sign saying Kyoko's room." Kyoko said." Pretty smart, leaving the snow."

" Let's leave those two down there." Akariko said." It'll give me more peace to study."

"Yeah." Kyoko said, following Akariko upstairs and leaving the other two to bicker in peace.

"Oh, you're back?" Sota asked, seeing Akariko walk into the house the next morning." Did you study well?"

" Nope, I forgot everything that I read!" Akariko said miserably." I'm just going to stay home today."

"Wasted trip then huh?" Sota asked, leaving.

* * *

**Finally! I'm done with chapter three! Let's see, anything else I have to say? Oh yeah, for Nayuki's name, I just put the yuki(Snow) and na together. I have no idea if it's a real name or not. I have a habit of putting random words together and passing them off as names. **


	4. Chapter 4

It had been two weeks since Sota's cousin came to live with him. After the first three days, nothing new or interesting had happen. Before, Sota would have given anything to be in Kagome's place, but after seeing how miserable she was after finding out the well was sealed, Sota had resolved never to be in her situation. Personally, he felt that Kagome felt a stronger attachment to her other friends than she had ever felt to the normal people in her life.

Without realizing it, Sota had walked into the well house. He stopped himself in time to prevent falling down the stairs and scraping an arm. That would have been embarrassing. Not that anyone would see; no one was here. Then again, Akariko had a habit of popping up out of nowhere. She probably mastered the art of being stealthy long ago. He turned around quickly to see if she was there. He was quite alone.

Then, he noticed a meowing coming from inside the shed. Sota suddenly remembered what happened a few years ago, when Buyo had slipped into the old well house. Sota, being too afraid to get him at that time, had tried to lure him out with some food. Then, Kagome was there, lecturing him about how he wasn't allowed to be inside the well house. She went inside, and nearly gave him a heart attack when she screamed, only to find out it was Buyo. After that, he really nearly had a heart attack, seeing his life flash before his eyes, when that horrible looking woman come up and grab Kagome. The next moment, she was gone.

Grandpa had thought he hit his head somewhere, and told him he wasn't allowed near the shrine when Sota had come to tell him what had happened.

" Really, if it weren't for you," He said, picking Buyo up," Maybe our lives wouldn't be so dysfunctional. Or maybe it was just fated to happen. Grandpa had always said that you can't escape karma."

" What's karma?" A girl's voice asked suddenly. Akariko had escaped his senses once again.

Sota never got the chance to reply, because at that moment, the well began to emit a strange purple glow. It was the same glow that came whenever Kagome came back, and for a moment, Sota dared to think that Kagome was going to come. After a few seconds, however, he came back to reality and accepted that it wasn't Kagome.

As quickly as the flash had come, it was gone.

" What was that?" Akariko asked curiously, peering down the well." Is this a magic well or something. Does it grant your wishes?"

" Um...not really." Sota said, wondering what that light could have been. Was it possible that the well had reopened? His mom had told him that when Kagome left for the last time, she could see the sky in the well. Sota looked down the well. Nothing but ground." It's a normal well."

" You're lying."

Sota stared at Akariko in surprise. The reply had come so quickly that it seemed she didn't hear him.

This was the first time Sota had seen Akariko look so mad. Akariko looked livid, her expression one of unmistakable anger.

And that lie was so little. Sota hadn't given it any thought when he had told her the well was normal. How on earth was she able to perceive that it was a lie, when the truth was so unbelievable?

" You're lying." Akariko said again, and this time, she looked calmer, as if she had never been angry. As if Sota had only imagined it.

" Why would?" He trailed off. No point in lying if she could tell it was a lie." Well, it not magical. At least, not anymore."

" Good." Akariko said, smiling." I knew you would never lie to me."

' _What was that all about?_' Sota was stunned. Akariko was a strange girl. Not only was she a stealth machine, she was also a lie detector. What else was she?

" Okay...I go now." He said, going up the small flight of stairs.

" Wait." Akariko said, grabbing his sleeve and pointing down the well. " Look down there."

Sota looked into the well, shocked, saw a little girl down there.

" How'd I get here?" The girl asked. Then she saw Sota and Akariko." Can you help me up?"

Sota hesitated, not knowing if he could trust the girl. Akariko however, had without hesitation, grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her up.

Once the girl was up from the well, Sota could see that she appeared six or seven. She was wearing what seemed like Kagome's uniform, only it was a dress. She had raven hair that didn't quite reach her shoulder, and was wearing an expression of mild surprise, and a hint of fear.

" Who are you? Where's my mom?" She asked, looking around.

" Who's that?" Grandpa asked, walking into the shed." You shouldn't bring children into the shrine. They could hurt themselves you know."

Before Sota could say that he hadn't brought the girl into the shed, the little girl suddenly ran towards Grandpa saying," Grandpa! I found you!"

Both Sota and Grandpa looked at the girl in surprise. Akariko however, merely looked delighted." You didn't tell me you had a little sister!"

" I don't." Sota said slowly, still registering what had happened.

" I'm sorry." Grandpa said, " I think you have the wrong person."

The girl laughed." Silly Grandpa! It's me! Kagome!"

Both Sota and Grandpa said quickly," Kagome?"

The little girl stared at Sota and Akariko and then said," Who are these strangers Grandpa?"

" What's going on?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

" Mom!" Kagome shouted.

" K...agome?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, recognizing that girl as a younger Kagome.

" Is something wrong?" Kagome asked, with a smile.

" Is it really you?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

" That's Kagome?" Sota asked, shocked.

" Whose Kagome?" Akariko asked.

" She's a seven year old?" Grandpa asked, disbelievingly." What happened to you?"

" Nothing." Kagome said, looking confused now." I was walking home with Eri and Yuka, and then I was suddenly in the well?"

"Kagome?" Sota asked, looking at the girl. She did have a resemblance to the Kagome he knew. However, the Kagome he knew was turning twenty this year.

Mrs. Higurashi looked worried.

" Do you think something happened to her?" She asked Grandpa.

" I told her it was too dangerous there!" Grandpa cried." But she wouldn't listen to me!"

" What happened?" Mrs. Higurashi asked to the young Kagome.

Kagome said," Well, I was walking home with my friends, and then we dared each other to go into the well."

That story sounded familiar to Mrs. Higurashi, somehow.

" And then I went in there, and um, someone pushed me in the well." Kagome shuddered a little, probably remembering being pushed in there." I got mad at Eri, cause I thought it was her, but she wasn't there. There was this strange lady standing there. "

Grandpa suddenly gasped.

Mrs. Higurashi suddenly remembered that Kagome had told her that story a few years ago, when she was seven. The exact same thing had happened to her.

" She didn't say anything." Kagome said, oblivious Grandpa's gasp." Then she disappeared. Then the girl over there found me and helped me up."

Mrs. Higurashi didn't say anything for a while. When Kagome was seven, she had told Mrs. Higurashi the same story as well. Mrs. Higurashi was worried that there was someone lurking around the house, and had tightened the security. That was long forgotten, but now, as she looked at the sight of her oldest child, turned to a child once more, she began feeling that familiar worry and fear.


End file.
